Residents along the Ukhiya-Naikhongchhari border in Bangladesh were thrown into panic after heavy gunfire erupted once again from areas inside Myanmar late Thursday night.
They spent a sleepless night as the sound of gunfire echoed from across the border following sporadic clashes between the Arakan Army and the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO).
A stray bullet from the ongoing conflict struck a Rohingya youth inside a Ukhiya refugee camp in Cox’s Baxar of Bangladesh. The injured, identified as Mohammad Yaser, lives in Camp 12 of Ukhiya. A rifle bullet reportedly pierced into his abdomen.
Local sources said the gunfire started around 11:30pm and continued intermittently until early Friday. The residents of several border communities, including Dhamankhali, Balukhali, Rahmater Beel, Nalbania, and Anjumanpara, heard intense gunfire throughout the night.
Similar reports also came from Ghumdhum border in Naikhongchhari of Bandarban district.
Ukhiya’s Palongkhali Union Parishad Chairman M Gafur Uddin Chowdhury confirmed that the sounds of gunfire came from violent clashes inside Myanmar between Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups.
“People along the border were panicked. No one could sleep,” he said.
A resident, Borhan Uddin, has described the scene as “tense and frightening”. Following the incident, tensions were mounting on the border, he added.
Journalist Kamar Uddin Mukul said Dhamankhali border point was particularly affected, with gunfire echoing continuously for hours.
“The sudden return of violence along a border that had remained quiet for months has frightened local people,” he said.
On the Bangladeshi side, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has tightened security along the border. Battalion Commander Lt Col Mohammad Jashim Uddin said, “Armed clashes were going on inside Myanmar for some time.
“It is an internal matter of Myanmar. However, the BGB is fully alert and prepared to respond to any situation.”
He added that additional security measures were immediately put in place following the gunfire.
The BGB has urged border residents to remain calm and assured that the situation is being closely monitored.
Sources say the Arakan Army gained control of approximately 272 kilometres of the border area in Myanmar’s Rakhine State months ago after defeating junta forces.
Since then, violent clashes with other armed groups – particularly the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the RSO – have intensified in recent times.
Earlier on October 4, similar gunfire incident was reported from across Ghumdhum Chakmapara border point near Naikhongchhari.
